Finland’s Anita Mäkelä is a four-time FIA European Top Fuel Champion who holds the record for most Top Fuel event wins in FIA history with 12 victories, while also running a commercial poultry farm and raising two kids—because apparently piloting a 10,000-horsepower dragster at 510 km/h wasn’t enough of a challenge.

EARLY YEARS

Mäkelä’s entry into drag racing happened almost by accident in 1987 when she overheard a conversation at an FHRA race office. Her friend was working there, and she caught wind that Rune Grönlund’s Competition dragster was for sale. That casual eavesdropping turned into a purchase, and just like that, a poultry farmer from Finland became a drag racer. It was an unconventional start, but then again, nothing about Anita’s career would ever be conventional.

OTHER INTERESTS

When she’s not strapped into a Top Fuel dragster, Mäkelä runs a commercial chicken farm in Vilppula, Finland, with her husband and crew chief Tommi Haapanen. They hatch day-old chickens as their daily work—a fitting business for someone whose team mascot is a rooster named Power Chicken. The farm isn’t just a side gig; it’s a full-time operation that has occasionally pulled her away from racing to handle the demands of parenthood and business expansion. Managing a poultry empire and a Top Fuel team simultaneously is the kind of multitasking that would make most people’s heads explode, but Anita seems to handle it with the same calm she brings to the starting line.

EARLY SUCCESS

Mäkelä wasted no time proving she belonged on the drag strip. She won the Finnish Championship in Competition Eliminator in 1989, then did it again in Pro Comp in 1990. By 1991, she’d stepped up to the European stage, finishing seventh in the Pro Comp European Championship. She bought a Top Alcohol Dragster from Ken Murray and Brian Hansell in Canada, flew to the USA to seal the deal, and returned to Europe ready to compete at the highest levels. Working with Simo Patoharju, she won European Championships in Top Alcohol Dragster in 1994 and 1996. The rivalry between her Sega-sponsored dragster and Tony Donges’ Nintendo-backed car became legendary, and Anita finished in the top three of the European Championship from 1992 onward. She wasn’t just fast—she was consistent, which in drag racing is often more dangerous than raw speed.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 1989: Won Finnish Championship in Competition Eliminator[1].
• 1990: Won Finnish Championship in Pro Comp[1].
• 1994: Won FIA European Top Alcohol Dragster Championship[2].
• 1996: Won FIA European Top Alcohol Dragster Championship[2].
• 1998: Finished third in FIA European Top Fuel Championship after making a deal to drive Peter Lantz’s Top Fuel car following the birth of her daughter Hanna[1].
• 2000: Won FIA European Top Fuel Championship[1].
• 2003: Ran the first four-second pass in Finland before stepping away from driving to raise her children Hanna and Heikki and manage the family chicken farm[2].
• 2016: Won FIA European Top Fuel Championship and defeated Birgitte Bremnes from Norway in the first-ever all-female Top Fuel final in FIA history at Tierp Internationals—the only driver to run 3.9-second passes that weekend[3].
• 2018: Won FIA European Top Fuel Championship with outstanding consistency, setting an ET record of 3.870 seconds in qualifying at the European Finals[4].
• 2019: Won fourth FIA European Top Fuel Championship with four event wins, 14 round wins, and a 124-point margin over second place—setting records for highest points total in one season (556), most event wins in a season (four), and most round wins in a season (14)[5].
• 2019: Inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame for her 12 FIA Top Fuel event wins—an FIA record—and 30-year career in drag racing[1].

INSPIRATIONS

No specific information provided.

REPUTATION

Mäkelä is widely regarded as one of Europe’s greatest Top Fuel racers, male or female. Her 12 FIA Top Fuel event wins remain an unmatched record, and her ability to dominate across multiple decades—while juggling motherhood and a poultry business—has made her a legend in European drag racing. The consistency of her team, led by husband Tommi Haapanen, chief mechanic Sami Lehtimäki, and Australian tuner Ben Patterson, is the stuff of racing lore. She’s earned respect not just for her driving, but for her work ethic and her ability to return to the sport after stepping away to raise her kids. When her children, Hanna and Heikki, grew old enough to behave at the track and embrace pit life, she came back—and proceeded to win three more championships. That’s the kind of comeback story that doesn’t need embellishment.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

No specific information provided.

REFERENCES

[1] British Drag Racing Hall of Fame – Anita Mäkelä
[2] Eurodragster.net – Interview: Anita Mäkelä returns to Top Fuel
[3] Drag Racing Europe – Anita Mäkelä wins first-ever all-female FIA Top Fuel final at Tierp Internationals
[4] Bryan Racing – 2018 FIA Top Fuel European Champion Anita Makela
[5] Drag Racing Europe – Anita Mäkelä defends her Top Fuel title in great style
[6] YouTube – Anita Mäkelä: Farmer and European Top Fuel race champion
[7] Anita Mäkelä Official Driver Profile
[8] European Drag Racing Database – Anita Mäkelä